You were in a class of your own that day. Was keeping tabs on you as I had a contingent from my team there racing and I remembered you from the Nike Vaporfly thread here on 'twitch. Superb race and well well done!

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ZONE3 - We Last Longer

Wow, great job. You make it sound so easy!

Super read and well done to you both. Great form early in the season, do you live in Norway and how did you you find training to peak so early in the season?

Will look out for you in Mallorca...

Thanks for the nice words guys👍

We live in Norway and SA comes way to early in the season to peak properly. The Easter holyday came at at good time this year and we spent it on Mallorca getting a good week of training 3 weeks before the race in SA. The rest of the winter taining is spent on the trainer, treadmill and in the pool. We also spent the Christmas holyday on Thanyapura in Thailand where we got a good couple of weeks of training👍

Looking forward to racing again in 70.3 Mallorca - love that race!!! But 4 weeks after South Africa is too close 🤔🤣

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Thank you for sharing your race report and congratulation on a dominating victory. Your run of 2:55 is just blazing fast. Would you mind sharing the basic details of your run training?

Many Thanks,

Will

Really impressive Lars Petter, especially after a record snow winter in Norway.
As far as I know you can still ski down Aron (my dad lives at Aronsloekka).
Congratulation with new sponsors also. You and Trude look sharp.

Viking power!

I run from 25 to 70 km per week (aversge of 43 km/week so far in 2018, and in 2017 I had an average of 41 km/week). So you can see that I don’t do a lot of volume, but try to have very good quality on my interval-sessions. I try to fokus on speed and train to get a good stride and be pretty good at 10 km races. Typical I do 2 interval-sessions per week:
- one session with 1000m intervals with 1 min rest (I do 10-15x1000m in progressive pace ending up a bit faster then my 10km race-speed on the last interval (example: 15x1000m, pace 3:30-3:14/km)).
- Another session will be a bit longer intervals (3-5 km), and I do those on the «safe side» of my treshold pace. Typical 4x3000m or 3-4x5000m, both at 3:30/km pace.

Then I have a build up period with longer runs in IM-pace towards a full distance race. Typical 20km - 25km - 30km - 35km, all around my ideal IM-pace 3:45-3:55/km. I have two weeks between each of these sessions, and the last one (35km) I do 4 weeks before race day.

Training this way I feel gives me a good speed capasity and a good «run-economy», and I get the stamina in the legs to endure the long distance with the build-up period with long runs. I can tell you that the build up long runs towards South Africa was mentaly hard when I had to do them on the treadmill🙄😂

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Thanks Halvard👍
Still snow in Arin, but a lot has gone the last weeek. Today was our first ride outside here in Norway this year 😄

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Many thanks for your reply with so much detail. Exactly what I was interested to see. Good luck for the rest of your season and especially the race that really counts . . .Norseman. ;-)

Will

The race that really counts for me is Kona 😉 (after Norseman 7 times and two victories it’s about setting new high goals)

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Hi Stormo, the feedback on your run buildup was great. Could you also give some similar information on your bike buildup period but to only include the indoor training sessions? I am interested in what type of key indoor sessions you are doing, especially in terms of duration and how you replicate the key longer outdoor session that most do during a traditional summer buildup.

Hi Aaron

Since it’s been a «good» winter with a lot of snow it was hard/impossible to do a propper buildup for South Africa (especially on the bike). I have trained consistantly all winter with a steady workload and have not had a big differentiation between hard and easy weeks (working full time and having limited time for training I find it easier to keep he trainingload steady at a level that works from day to day). If I push too hard some weeks I don’t get enough rest and sleep, and it’s easy to get sick (which I don’t have time for).

On the bike during the winter I normaly have 2 intervalsessions each week.
- One where I do FTP intervals: total interval time of 40-50 minutes. Typical sessions can be 10x4 min (2 min rest), pyramid-intervals 2-4-6-8-8-6-4-2 min (half the time rest), 5x8 min (4min rest) etc. I try to not start too hard and rather increase the intensity progressively.
- I also do one interval-session with intensity around 90% of FTP. Total interval time of around 50-60 min. Typical sessions can be 6-8x8min (2 min rest), 4x15 min (3 min rest), 3x20 min (4 min rest). These sessions can also be spiced up with 30 sec increase in intensity like 5x12 min with 30 sec over FTP every 4 min (3 increasing each interval).

Every other week I also try to do a longer session with one longer interval (60-90 min) at 90% of FTP. (Also often with 30 sec increase to FTP every 5 min).

As you can see I don’t get any long sessions on the bike during the winter. To sit on the bike indoors for more than two hours is too boring and I’m not sure it gives the same effect as riding outdoors.

Luckily the Easter came early this year and we got 10 days on Mallorca which was perfect before South Africa. Last year Easter came after SA, and I felt much better prepared this year having had a realy good training week on Mallorca 3 weeks before SA this year. Here we got some longer rides.

Before every Ironman I do a last long and hard ride two weeks before race day. I then do around 150km in Ironman-pace practicing on intensity and nutrition. After the ride I go straight for a 10km run in fast Ironman-pace (3:50/km ish). This session is key for me and it’s the last realy hard session before starting the taper-period the last two weeks.

During a «normal» buildup (not in winter) I will have more of these longer rides in IM-pace. Both because I feel they give me good endurance capasity, they make me smarter and I learn a lot about my limits and nutrition, and also because I think they are realy fun😄

BTW: all my training is open for everyone to see on Strava👍😊

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Thanks a lot for taking the time to give such details on your biking. Your result is even more incredible seeing this. Again, much appreciated! I may go for a race in 2019 that would be trained for almost all indoors. So I am always looking to learn from others.
All the best for your Hawaii build....

Thanks for doing this and congratulations on a great performance.

What is your sporting background? Curious as to what types of sports you played growing up, especially given the relatively low run volume for the marathon times you can achieve. Also with the bike, for fairly low levels of total volume you must have a very good FTP.

Did you do much swimming when younger or did you pick that up when older?

Do you use TrainingPeaks and if so what is your bike and run CTL at in different periods throughout the year?

Hi Lars

Thanks for the report and well done on a super race. I was in the same AG and came 8th - you beat me by some 42min (and I remember you lapping me on about the second lap of the run... haha! ), which is truly incredible!

My training partners and I (here in South Africa) have been following your build-up to IMAC with interest, and we will do so again for Kona - thanks for being open with your training and sessions. Good luck with your goal for winning Kona. Unfortunately circumstances don't allow me to go to Kona this year, but we will be following you from SA.

My sporting background is from mountanbiking. I was on the Norwegian National Montainbike Team from 1997 to 2002 with several top results both national and some international. From 2002 to 2007 I took a masters degree in contruvtional engeneering and from 2007 I have worked full time as an engeneer. From 2007-ish I have trained very varied with more running and cross-country skiing as well as monutainbike. My first triathlon was Norseman in 2007 which I won. I have never done any swim-training before some sessions the last year before my first Norseman.

While I studied I started to run some just as an effectiv way to train, but I was not very good and ran like a cyclist 😄

My triathlon, running and swimmmng got more serious fra around 2011 training towards my second Norseman in 2012 (where I came 2’nd). After this I have done more and more triathlon and running. I did my first full distance Ironman in Nice in 2016 and won my AG and was 11 overall (pro’s included) after a 2:45 marathon.

My swimming has god much more serious the last two years going from swimming 2 times a week earlier to 4-7 times a week. This has hjelped a lot and raised my level from around 1 hour IM swim to 53-54 min swim.

My run PB’s is 32:20 at 10km race and 1:12 half marathon.

Coming from a cycling background I take the cycling pretty easy and have focused on the run the last years. Working full time I don’t have the time to put in the necessary hours to raise my bike-level. This is the part where those who don’t work (pro’s) have a big advatage and where I could realy raise my level if I quit my job.

My FTP is not super high, but OK (around 340w during the winter on the indoor trainer, and 370w outside). But I’m a good bike-handler and ride smart, so I can do a pretty good bike leg on low watts.

I also know the I’m mantaly very strong and can push myself hard which is super important to win races.

I have just starting logging my training in TP this winter so I’m not familiar with the terms and values yet.

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Hi SAvan

Thanks for the kind words! I find it very motivating and inspiring to be able to inspire others👍

I came to SA with the goal to win, but it’s early in the season and seeing all the super fit guys the last week made me unsure that it would be posible. But I also doubt myself the last week before a race and have learned not to put too much into those emotions and trust that I have done the job and that I just have to do my best.

I was super happy with my race in SA and it was a good day for me! So nice to start the season with a good result that show that the winter training had been good. Looking forward to the rest for the season and of course Kona which is the big goal!

My next race will be 70.3 Mallorca in only three weeks. It is too close til SA, but it’s kind of a tradition and am awesome race. I have been tired and got sick after SA (normal with the long flight home), so we will see what kind of shape I will be able to be inn on Mallorca... There are no PRO’s there so it would be fun to win, but right now my form feels pretty far off a victory😄

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Great job LP, truly amazing result when you remember that you also work full time.
What is your sports background? You obviously have loads of talent to be able to go so fast on relatively few hours. Do you have any thoughts on going pro?

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

Hi oscaro

I have written a bit of my background in my answer to «rock» a few post longer up.

I would love to go pro and to race with the best. Maybe be first Norwegian pro ever to qualify to Kona... 😊 But now I’m working full time as a consttuction engineer and only have my spare time and vacations for training, so with that lifestyle I consider myself an amature. To go pro I would have to reduce my work load or quit my job, and it’s not easy to get sponsors to cover that in Norway... I would also be willing to move abroad if the right offer came along. We will just have to see what happens. 😊

But I think it’s great fun racing AG aswell, and love to be able to go to Hawaii for the third time, so I don’t complain.

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Sorry missed that. Interesting that you rode on a IF of .65, seems super low but maybe that’s how you are able to run so fast.
Good luck with Kona!

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

Hi Lars,

Thanks for your detailed race report and answers. i'll be racing Mallorca as well (45-50), I hope to see you win there!

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Sr. Salitre

I'd love to hear how your run program differed when training for Norseman. I'm doing AlaskaMan and trying to nail down the proportion of mountain running/hiking to "normal" IM run training.

Hi AKCrafty

When it comes to my run training for Norseman it’s the same as for a flat Ironman. The thing with the run at Norseman is that it starts with 25 km flat road before going straight up the mountain tha last 17 km. I think that the guys that are fastest up the climb/mountain are the ones the come to the bottom of the climb with pretty good legs, have done a good job with nutrition all day, and are very mantaly strong (the last climb is a real mental challenge to fight through the pain).

So my focus is to be very good at the flat running in the start and run fast there without «destroying» the legs. If I’m very good at the flat part it’s posible to gain more time on my competitors there then on the mountain where it’s more about rhythm, nutrition and a strong head. And if I’m in a good position at the start of the climb it gives me a positive boost and adrenalin to push hard up the mountain.

I don’t feel that running a lot of mountains and steep hill-intervals is so relevant since it’s a totaly different thing running up a mountain after 8-10 hours. Starting the climb in Norseman you are already very tired after a long day, and the climb is really steep. Then it’s more about finding a good rhythm you are able to maintain for a long time.

I don’t know how the run on AlaskaMan is. If it’s more hilly all the run I think I would focus on doing my long runs in similar terrain.

Good luck!

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Instagram and Strava: @lpstormo

Congrats! Just a quick question here from looking at the pictures on your report (didn't translate yet)...what saddles are you and your wife/girlfriend using?